The Kunoichi
by ubertrunks
Summary: The world is on the brink of war again as a Kunoichi chases a mysterious man through the forest. Who is this man? You have to read every installment in this epic story that takes place several years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War to find out!
1. Chapter 1

The Kunoichi sat before the fire she had created as the shroud of night engulfed the skies above the forest. She was chasing a man through the forest and this was the closest she had been able to get to him. The Kunoichi estimated that he was a day ahead of her now. She knew she couldn't afford to let this chance pass; she doubted that she would ever get this close again. She knocked over her pack as a sudden noise from behind caused her to instinctively turn around. She had been very on-edge, mostly due to the fact that she had been getting very little sleep. She concluded that it was just the wind as she took notice of her supplies that had fallen out of her pack.

"Let's see…3 kunai knives and a two days rations at most." She said to herself.

The Kunoichi took a look at her map which had also fallen out of her pack. The nearest village was about a half-day's worth of travel away. The Kunoichi put the map back into the pack. She wouldn't be able catch up to him with her lack of supplies. She decided it was in her best interest to travel to the small village and gather some additional gear and food. The Kunoichi looked up into the trees. They appeared as silhouettes against the light cast down by the moon. She absolutely loved the forests that covered The Country of Fire. This was because they had, up until recently, been quiet and peaceful. The Kunoichi slipped into her sleeping bag and rested her head on her pillow. She had grown quite sleepy and it was time for her to turn in.

The sun was just beginning to rise as the Kunoichi pulled herself out of the sleeping bag. Her pink hair shined in the morning sun. It had grown long during the time that she had spent searching. She quickly gathered her things; she didn't have time to stand around. She began to make her way through the forest, heading in the direction of the village.

This part of the country had remained mostly unscathed during the war. It wasn't the nicest place in the world, but compared to those regions that were severely ravaged during the war, it seemed like paradise. The Kunoichi had seen those places during the war, and the images of the destruction stayed in her head. She had changed a great deal over the course of the war, not only on an emotional level, but on a physical level as well. She looked like someone you would not want to mess with. She was a badass, and not only did she know that, but so did anyone who ever crossed her. She had killed many people, including women and children. This fact did not bother her in the least. The enemy was simply that, and war was no place for discretion.

The sun was just over the Kunoichi's head when the village came into view. She did not know what to expect when she got there, as she had never been to this village before, but she did know one thing for certain - she was being followed. Whoever was following her was obviously not hostile. If they were, they would have surely attacked by now.

"Show yourself." The Kunoichi commanded as she drew a kunai into her hand, assuming a defensive position.

Moments later, an old man stepped out into the clearing. He was of very small stature. The Kunoichi estimated that he was no taller Five-and-a-half feet.

"Please put away the weapon. I am unarmed." The old man said.

The Kunoichi did just that as she began to question him.

"You have been following me for the past hour." She asked, "Care to explain why?"

The old man walked over towards the pink-haired Kunoichi.

"I can see from your forehead protector that you are a ninja of the Hidden Leaf," he said, pointing at the leaf symbol on her forehead protector, "I also noticed that you are headed towards the village. I'm here to warn you; the people of the village despise the ninja."

The Kunoichi looked at the old man with a puzzled look on her face.

"Despise? Why do they despise the ninja?" She asked.

"War." The old man said abruptly

"War?" the Kunoichi questioned, "This war does not involve them. They have no reason to despise us."

"You're absolutely correct. This war does not involve them. That's precisely the reason why they despise the ninja." He said.

"I'm not so sure I understand what you mean. Why don't you go ahead and elaborate for me?" She inquired.

"The villagers are afraid that the ninja will bring the war to their land." He explained, "To tell you the truth, my feelings are the same as theirs, except that they may be much more aggressive to you than I have been."

"Are you saying I should be expecting a fight?" The Kunoichi asked.

"I'm not saying that they will attack you. At least, I don't think they will." He said, "But don't expect a warm welcome."

With that being said, the old man began to take his leave. He walked off into the trees without saying another word. The conversation had left the Kunoichi troubled. She hoped that she wouldn't have to engage in combat with villagers who are in no way associated with the war. The thought of this made the images resurface in the Kunoichi's mind. She wished more than anything that they would go away, but she had long since accepted the fact that there are some things that can never be unseen. She took a swig of water, hoping it would soothe her mind, and then continued onward towards the village.


	2. Chapter 2

It was around three o'clock when the Kunoichi came across the river. She had heeded the advice of the old man and removed the forehead protector that she was wearing as a hair band. She walked up to the wooden bridge and saw that there were three men on the other side. Each of these men wore a mask that resembled a skull over their faces. Two of the men appeared to be unarmed. The third man, whom the Kunoichi guessed was the leader, carried a samurai sword. As the Kunoichi crossed the bridge, the leader of the small group walked over to her.

"I'm going to have to ask you to empty that bag." He commanded, "This is a routine check so you have nothing to worry about. Just submit so that you may go on your way."

"Oh, sure" The Kunoichi said in a flirtatious voice. She thought she could charm her way through this situation until she remembered that her forehead protector was in her bag. The leader began to go through the Kunoichi's things, eventually finding the knives and the forehead protector.

"A couple of kunai and a Hidden Leaf forehead protector," The leader said, "you either killed a ninja then took these from him, or you are a ninja yourself. If that's the case then my friends and I are going to have to kill you. So which one is it going to be?"

"Oh, yeah…That…I…" The Kunoichi stuttered before she realized she didn't have time to waste, "Fuck it." Before the leader could draw his sword, the Kunoichi was weaving her hand signs.


	3. Chapter 3

The Kunoichi performed a series of eighteen seals.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" She shouted as her hands stopped on the eighteenth seal. A large amount of water surged out of the river and rose up into the air. Seconds later, the water came crashing down like a waterfall onto the other side of the river. The two masked men were hit with such a tremendous force that they were instantly crushed to death. After the waves settled down the Kunoichi took a look at the aftermath of her technique. The two bodies lay disfigured in a pool of blood on the other side of the river. The bodies were surely unidentifiable at this point. The leader, and only one remaining of the group of three, noticed that the Kunoichi was distracted for a moment. This left him with a very difficult choice to make. He could either take this opportunity to flee, as the ninja would surely defeat him with her high level techniques, or he could risk it all with an attack while she left an opening. He wanted to end this battle and he wanted to end it now. He drew his sword and leaped at the Kunoichi, who at the moment was completely vulnerable. He sliced diagonally across her body. The masked man was sure he had killed her as he noticed the resulting spray of blood.

"That's not blood..." The man observed as the Kunoichi's body turned into a puddle of water, "What the fuck is this?"

"It was a water clone." Said a voice that whispered into his ear. The masked man found himself caught from behind as the Kunoichi held a razor sharp kunai to his throat.

"When did you create a water clone?" He asked, "I surely would have seen you."

"Not only was my technique used to annihilate your comrades, but it was also meant to distract you." She explained, "In the short few seconds in which you watched your friends falling in a pool of blood, I created a water clone and then leaped over to my bag, which you had thrown behind you. With that being said, I'm sure you can guess what happens next."

"You're going to kill me?" The man asked.

"How many more of you are out there?" The Kunoichi answered with a question.

"You can go fu-" before he could finish his sentence the Kunoichi had slit his throat wide open. She watched him fall face first onto the wooden bridge as blood sprayed from his throat.

"Wrong fucking answer." She said before walking up to the river and washing her now bloodied hands in the flowing water. This was not the first time this has happened. The people of this world had grown to fear ninja, this fear sometimes driving them to great lengths to get rid of the ninja. The Kunoichi looked at her reflection in the water as she speculated on what had just happened. It was not in her character to kill in the way she had just done. She threw her face in her hands as she cried. It was the first time she had cried in years, and this feeling of grief felt quite alien to her now. The images again began to fill the Kunoichi's head. She thought about the monster she had become. The war had turned her into a brutal human being, and after seeing the people who were once her friends die by the hands of the enemy, she had learned to fear nothing and longed only for revenge. Her eyes were still watery as she stood up, concluding that this massacre was the result of her unchecked aggression, which she had yet to learn to control. Then she thought about the man she was chasing. He was the next step in the long process of revenge. Without him, she would never have her vengeance.


	4. Chapter 4

Night had just fallen when the Kunoichi arrived at the village gates. She had hoped to arrive much sooner than this, but the events that had taken place earlier that day had slowed her down. She decided she would find a place to sleep for the night and resupply in the morning. She then made her way to the nearby inn. There were a couple of people inside who appeared to be regulars of the place. There was a man standing behind a counter and pouring a glass of whiskey for one of the patrons. She figured he was the innkeeper.

"I haven't seen you here before." The innkeeper observed from across the inn, "If you're looking for a drink, you came to the right place! Can I get you something?"

"A drink would be nice." She said while quickly walking up to the bar and taking a seat.

"What can I get you?" The innkeeper asked.

"Let me have two Bombay martinis." She said, "Dry, up, twist of lemon_._"

"…Alright then." He said, sounding a little annoyed. The Kunoichi watched him mix the gin and vermouth in a glass with ice before straining it into the cocktail glass. She turned her head to get a better view of the place as he garnished her cocktail with a twist of lemon. She took her first sip while looking around. She froze instantly as she made eye contact with one of the patrons in the inn. She saw that he was carrying a very familiar looking samurai sword. She broke eye contact before continuing to slam back the remainder of her cocktail. The Kunoichi turned around and looked up at the innkeeper.

"Just a moment." He said as he began to mix another martini for the pink-haired Kunoichi. Again he mixed the gin and vermouth in a glass and strained it into the cocktail glass before garnishing it with a twist of lemon. The Kunoichi grabbed the cocktail and took a sip.

"I was actually looking for a place to stay for the night," She pointed out, "if you have any rooms left."

"I'm sorry, but you're out of luck." He said, "I just gave our last room to this gentleman right here." It was the man that had made eye contact with her just seconds ago. It appeared that he had walked over and took a seat next to the Kunoichi when he noticed that she had been looking at him.

"That's a shame. " The man said. The Kunoichi winced as he said this; the smell of alcohol on his breath was almost too much to bear. "Maybe we could share the room. You could pay for half. If you don't have any money, well… There's _other_ ways you can pay me back." He said as he scooted closer to the Kunoichi. Once again, the Kunoichi slammed back the rest of her cocktail while she watched the man stare at her in a daze.

"I actually don't have enough money for the room." She said as she handed her last bill to the innkeeper to pay for the cocktails.

"Oh it's okay." He replied, "I'm sure we could work something out."

"That would be great." She said with a smile, "How about we head to the room and we can figure it out there?" The man stood up, stumbled a bit, and then replied to the Kunoichi.

"Grea-" He said.

"Up the stairs, down the hall, the room will be the last door on the left." The innkeeper interjected, sounding a little angry. The Kunoichi stood up and walked with the man, whom was barely able to make it up the stairs, to the room. She opened the door for him as he walked in. It was a pretty small room, nothing special. There was a bed large enough for two against the wall. The room was lit by the moonlight that was coming in through the window on the opposite wall from the bed.

"You got a name, sweetheart?" He asked as the Kunoichi entered the room.

"I'm Sakura." She said while slamming the door shut behind her and locking it, "Why don't you lie down, you look a little tired."He did just that, expecting to receive something _very_ special. The Kunoichi walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. "That's a nice sword you have there." She said. At first he though she was talking about something else. " Why don't you tell me about it?"

"It really is something special ain't it?" said the drunk man before going on to explain about it. "You see, I'm part of a gang." The Kunoichi frowned as he said this. "No, not a bad gang! a good one." he continued, still hoping he would receive that special payment. "We only exist to exterminate the remaining ninja from this world. We are doing this for the good of everyone. I was just promoted. That's when they gave me this sword. The red on the handle represents the blood of the innocent people who were killed by the ninja during the war."

"You're a very strong and brave man." The Kunoichi said as she smiled at him seductively, "But the ninja are strong too. How are you able to stand against them?" She began to gently rub the inside of his left thigh.

"That's a secret," He answered, "so I can't tell you."

"Please, sweetie?" The Kunoichi asked, desperate to obtain information on the gang. She moved closer to him and then whispered in his ear. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Sure." said the man, thinking that giving her this information would surely result in a very positive reward for him. "I just hope you won't think any less of me when I tell you."

"Never." The Kunoichi said before straddling him around the waist, causing him to grunt in pleasure. "So tell me."

"Well, it's no secret that there aren't many ninja left anymore considering the fact that most of the ninja villages were destroyed during the war." He explained, "Our strategy is simple. As long as we outnumber the ninja, then we will stand a chance against them."

"But the ninja who survived the war were the strongest ninja of the villages." The Kunoichi pointed out. "What if you have to face a ninja who is the strongest of those who survived?" The Kunoichi leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"We don't have to worry about that." He replied. "Everyone knows who the strongest Shinobi was. He was killed in an ambush during the war." The Kunoichi smiled to herself. She knew exactly who he was talking about. She was there when that ambush had taken place and she knew that she wasn't the only one who had managed to escape.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The Kunoichi said. "Now, about that payment..."


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura lay awake in the bed as the sun cast its morning light through the window. She was glad to have finally rested in an actual bed for once. She slid out from under the covers, revealing her half naked body, and then proceeded to prepare for herself a cup of tea. She spiked it with some Plymouth, a flask of which she kept in a compartment in her bag. She was drinking her tea when she heard a muffled grunt come from the closet. She decided she would have a little fun.

Sakura walked over to the closet door and opened it up. On the floor of the closet lay the man she had met the night before. His arms and legs were tied together with rope and his mouth was taped shut with tape. He was squirming around in an attempt to escape. Sakura kneeled down and smiled at the man.

"Good morning, sweetie!" said the Kunoichi. "We had so much fun last night! Thanks for sharing the room with me."

"Mmm…Mmmhmmmhmmmm…..Mmmmmm." The man tried to speak.

"Oh, yeah!" Sakura exclaimed. "Sorry, let me help you." She removed the tape from the man's mouth.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" He shouted. "My-Mmmmhmmmmhmmm." The man's voice was suddenly muffled as the Kunoichi covered his mouth with the tape again. She laughed before speaking to him.

"Well that's no way to speak to a lady!" She said. "I'll leave you here for now. In the meantime, I'm going to go take a shower." She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The pink-haired Kunoichi entered the shower as the bathroom became clouded with steam. This was the first time she had showered in about a week. She made sure to shave her legs, as they were getting quite prickly, before hopping out of the shower and drying off with a towel. After drying off she put her underwear on and went back into the room to get fully dressed and finish her tea. The muffled grunts continued while she simply sat there staring at the closet door while finishing her tea and wondering what she would do next.

She decided she would leave the man in the closet; someone would find him eventually. She grabbed all of her things, walked over to the window, and opened it up. She jumped out of the window on the second floor and landed on the street below. She noticed that there were many people on the streets, as compared to last night when she had arrived in the village, while she made her way to the nearby grocery store.

Sakura walked into the grocery store, intent on picking up some food to bring with her on the journey. She didn't want to waste any more time in this village so she quickly grabbed some things before paying for them. She used the money that she had taken from the man she met at the inn. She walked out of the store and looked around for a place to purchase some weaponry.

The rest of her stay in the village would remain uneventful. She left the village having resupplied, and continued on her journey towards the Shinobi whom she was chasing. He would be three days ahead of her at most, and she wasn't planning on him getting any further away than that.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura quickly hopped from tree to tree as sweat dripped from her chin. The forest would end as she found herself in the Earth Country. She hiked the mountain trails of the Earth country while still in pursuit of the Shinobi. She was getting tired, but she pushed on knowing that she would catch him soon.

He had taken the time to lay traps for her. Nothing deadly, just genjutsu traps that were meant to slow her down. Sakura was not only skilled in ninjutsu, but genjutsu as well, so it was easy for her to dispel the traps. She wondered why he was wasting his time with simple traps; he knew she was skilled in genjutsu and that these would not slow her down.

"_He knows he can't run forever_." She thought to herself. "_He must be getting desperate_."

A few more days of blistering heat was all that separated her from him now. When she finally caught up to him he was leaning against a tree in the shade. He had blonde hair and he carried one of those all too familiar samurai swords.

"You stopped running!" Sakura shouted from afar. She began to slowly walk towards the tree the Shinobi was leaning against. He didn't move as he spoke to her.

"I was never running in the first place." He said to her.

"What the hell-" Sakura said, before being interrupted by the blonde Shinobi who quickly turned his head as he interjected. She noticed a cigarette that was held loosely between his lips.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura." He said. The Shinobi paused for a moment as he took a drag of his cigarette. "In time, I shall explain everything to you." The Kunoichi was annoyed with his statement.

"You can start now." She demanded. "Why are your men trying to kill me? And your sword… it's the weapon of a Samurai. They betrayed us in the war! How could you join up with them after what they did?" He let her finish her rant before responding.

"You sound angry." He observed. "You sound like someone out for revenge."

"Damn right I'm out for revenge!" She screamed. The anger in her voice practically shook the earth. "The Samurai betrayed the Ninja! You faked your own death and then helped them…You betrayed your own village!"

"Calm dow-" he replied.

"Shut up, Naruto!" She commanded before he could finish his sentence. "You've become weak. I could kill you in a second."

"So that's why you've been following me." Naruto replied before taking a final drag of his cigarette and crushing it on the ground with his foot. "You're here to kill me; to exact your revenge."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea right now…" She said as began to slowly weave her hand signs. Her voice was sounding calmer now. "Better start talking."

"Wait wait wait!" Naruto said while putting his hands up as if telling her to stop. "Remember the old legends they told us at the Academy when we were kids?"

"Yeah, I used to love hearing those old legends. But what the hell are you getting at?" She asked.

"**Tell me, Sakura, how much do you remember about the legend of the City in the Sky?**"

* * *

><p>THE END<p>

The Kunoichi will serve as a simple prologue to the next installment in this series (which will be getting pretty wild and epic in the next few installments!) that I'm going to start working on soon.


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